Chapter 18
18
RUTGER
A s he slams into the dirt, Raul’s momentum sends his gun flying through the air. Thankfully, it doesn’t discharge, landing a safe distance from his hand. The world evaporates into a haze of red as I jump on top of him, reigning down bone-crushing blows. His hands fight to cover his face, and he sobs like a baby beneath me.
Boom! Lights go off in my head. Searing pain grinds into the back of my head. I try to catch myself, but my coordination’s off. Instead, I slump over Raul. An onslaught of brutality rains down on the back of my head and torso.
Large hands grip me, raising me from the ground as I shake my head, trying to recover my senses. Two of Raul’s men stand over me. One holds my arms behind me in a kneeling position while the other pounds my face and torso like a punching bag.
Bijou’s howls rise above the fray, and remorse and agony wash over me at the thought of her witnessing this.
A gunshot pierces the night, and all eyes look towards the sound. Bijou stands on the riverbank with Raul’s firearm raised over her head in her right hand and the diamond necklace dangling precariously from her left.
Raul struggles to all fours next to me, disbelief gripping his bloodied face.
Swinging the necklace tauntingly, she shrieks, “Let Rutger go, or I’ll throw it. I swear. I’ll throw the Blue Moon into the bottom of the Cumberland River.”
Sitting back on his haunches and holding his head, Raul exclaims, “That’s just the replica. How stupid do you think I am?”
The conviction in her voice is undeniable. “No, this is the real necklace. The one I took from Grandma’s bank deposit box.” She twirls the glittering chain wildly, and Raul hesitates.
Suddenly, he screams at his men, “What are you waiting for? Get the diamond from her!”
The man closest to her raises his weapon. But Raul screams, “I didn’t tell you to shoot her. I said to get the fucking diamond!”
I wouldn’t expect any less from a Lefevre man. They may not treat their women well. But the unspoken rule remains the same. Non-family members must never lay a hand on a Lefevre woman.
The guy holding my arms lets go, answering Raul’s command. I take advantage of the miscalculation. Bursting to my feet, I come up under the chin of the goon standing directly in front of me, headbutting him unconscious.
Jumping the other guy, now headed towards Bijou from behind, I wrestle him to the ground. We fight viciously, no-holds-barred, as the metallic smell of rain-moist dirt swirls around us.
The man is larger and heavier. Struggling with him reminds me of Daniel Lewis Holmes and the trailer park in Ophir City. But while he’s got no real skin in the game, my entire world rides on this moment.
With a rush of inhuman strength, I twist him into a headlock, squeezing with every ounce of my being. He struggles and kicks, knocking my head back into the dirt and filling my vision with stars. But he’ll have to kill me before I let go.
Bellowing ferociously, I tighten my grip, straining until I feel his muscles relax and his body go limp.
In the distance, tires on gravel announce the arrival of my team. They barrel down the same service road Bijou and I took earlier to evade P Boy’s men. I’ve never heard a more welcome sound in my life.
The full body weight of the man I fought with presses me down. I scramble to get out from under him, struggling to my feet. My head spins, and my vision blackens.
Resting my hands on my knees, I pause, encouraging the blood flow back to my brain. Then, I search for Bijou.
She kneels on the banks of the river, sobbing with her hand over her mouth. Her eyes search the river’s raging currents. The gun sits next to her on the ground, where she dropped it. She looks over her shoulder at the sound of my approach, watching me stumble towards her.
I feel warm moisture gushing down my neck and shoulders, and I can tell by Bijou’s wide eyes that my appearance horrifies her. Blood pours into my left eye, making it difficult to see.
My coordination feels off, and I walk with a slightly unsteady gait. Sinking onto the ground next to her, I pull Bijou into my arms, examining her face, arms, and torso until I’m satisfied. “Are you okay?”
She nods, but her eyes wander back towards the Cumberland’s swirling waters. An otherworldly expression lights her face as she stammers, “Raul and his man jumped in the water after the diamond. Who would do such a thing? They had to know their odds of retrieving it were impossible. But they were crazed with greed… I’ve never seen anything like it. It overrode all logic and reason. It’s like I saw the curse of the Blue Moon written in their eyes.”
I wrap my arms tightly around her, rocking and comforting her as I’ve longed to do all night. Pulling back and palming her cheek, I narrow my eyes, attempting to read her gaze. I find a mixture of awe and fear, relief and guilt.
“There’s nothing you could have done differently, beauty. Your brother’s date with destiny has been a long time in the making.”
She blinks, wide-eyed, pulling her face from the rushing currents back towards me. Her fingertips brush my cheeks, and her brows knit. “Baby, you’re not okay.”
I shake my head, immediately regretting the motion. “I’ve been through worse, kitten. I’ll be fine.”
Behind me, I hear McGregor’s familiar voice. Thankfully, he’s a medic and makes quick work of examining my head and stopping the bleeding.
“Looks like somebody pistol-whipped the shit out of you. You’re going to need staples.”
“Sounds about right,” I reply, feeling the adrenaline slowly subside, replaced by a throbbing ache.
“I’d wager you have a concussion, too.”
“More than likely,” I reply.
“I’ll patch you up here the best I can, but you’ve got to visit the ER today.”
I growl in annoyance.
“It’s not optional.”
Nodding towards the river, McGregor asks, “So what’s with the dudes in the water? They seriously chose tangling with the Cumberland over capture?” He puts the finishing touches on my head bandage.
Bijou’s face scrunches. “They went in after the Blue Moon.”
“The Blue what?”
She bites her lower lip. “It was a diamond kept in my family for generations. It came with the curse of greed, and that’s why they went in the water after it.”
His face looks puzzled, and I add. “Bijou threw the necklace in the water to distract them and save my life.” Looking gratefully at her, I push her black curly locks out of her face. “I’m not sure anyone will ever find it, beauty.”
Pressing her thick lips resolutely together, she replies, “The Lefevre curse needed to end with somebody. Grandma always told me it would be Raul. Maybe that’s why I fought so hard to keep it from him…” Her voice trails off with her thoughts.
I hear sirens drawing closer and nod my approval as McGregor explains, “Search and rescue’s on the way for a water rescue, and Nashville PD’s here. They’re not taking any chances after the nightclub shooting.”
“Do the police have any leads on that?” I ask.
“Law enforcement’s leaning towards a gangland-style shootout. Haven’t seen shit like that in years. But I guess we’ll have to wait for the final investigation report. All I know is P Boy and his crew are in for questioning.”
In the distance, Raul’s two remaining men sit on the ground, their hands cuffed behind their backs. Alonso stands over them.
My hand finds Bijou’s, and I tangle my fingers with hers, staring gratefully at her. Her eyes are puffy from crying and her lips red from kissing. The blood’s drained from her face, and her eyes remain wide as saucers. Without a doubt, she’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.
McGregor raises his eyebrows, staring at our clasped hands. “Bijou Lefevre,” he pronounces hesitantly. “Long time, no see.” The glance he shoots my way lets me know I have some explaining to do.
She smiles timidly at McGregor, her face hesitantly relaxing at his measured words. The broken engagement left a bitter taste in my friends’ mouths. Clearly, she realizes this.
But explanations can wait. I need to find a quiet place to escape with Bijou. To pull her into my lap and comfort her. When she’s ready, I want to talk things out. Sort out what happened between us in the car and what it means for our future.
A new round of tears floods Bijou’s cheeks as she stares at me. “Baby, I can’t stand seeing you hurt like this, knowing it’s my fault.”
“Your fault? How, kitten?”
“If you’d never met me, this never would’ve happened to you.” She looks away, biting her lower lip.
My knuckles are busted, and my hands ache as I cup her cheeks, drawing her face back towards mine. I wipe away her tears, inadvertently replacing them with bloody smears.
“Here,” McGregor commands, handing me a wet wipe from his First Aid kit. I use it to gently swipe my marks from her lovely face.
Capturing her gaze, I say with complete conviction, “Everything that’s happened has been worth it. Every fucking bit of it because I have you back in my life.”
Bijou nods, tears staining her mocha cheeks. She smiles, and the sight of the sexy little gap in her front teeth sets my heart on fire.